Images and video released on Friday show the first glimpse of the interior of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been restored five years after a devastating fire.
French President Emmanuel Macron toured the iconic structure ahead of its public opening on Dec. 8 and described the experience as “overwhelming,” Reuters reported.
Outside, the 12th-century monument is still a construction site with scaffolding and cranes, but inside it has undergone restoration, including the removal of years of accumulated dirt, revealing the cathedral's bright colors once again. It has become.
“We very much want to welcome the whole world under the roof of our cathedral,” Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich said on his website. According to Reuters. “On the night of April 15th, [2019]Hundreds of thousands of people took what seemed like an impossible gamble at the time: to restore the cathedral and restore it to its splendor within an unprecedented five-year deadline. ”
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The nave of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral photographed on Friday, November 29, 2024 in Paris, France. (AP/Stephane de Sactin)
Like medieval craftsmen, the carpenters cut giant oak beams by hand and rebuilt the roofs and spiers that had collapsed during the inferno.
In the days following the fire, nearly $1 billion was raised for Notre Dame's reconstruction.
French President Emmanuel Macron (third right) and his wife Brigitte Macron visited the restored interior of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Friday. (AP/Christophe Petit Tesson)
Restoration Director Philip Jost told the Associated Press About $148 million of that is still outstanding.
He added that as Notre Dame faces continued demands for preservation and structural integrity, these funds will be used “in agreement with benefactors and donors to carry out necessary construction campaigns. He said it would be used.
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Notre Dame Cathedral suffered a devastating fire in April 2019. (Pierre Sue/Getty Images)
The non-profit organization Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, founded in 2017, has helped lead international fundraising efforts.
The Tabernacle of Notre Dame Cathedral will be seen on Friday, November 28th. (AP/Stephane de Sactin)
Michel Picoult, president of the Friends of Notre Dame Paris, told Fox News Digital last week that the cathedral was already in dire condition before the fire.
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A fire in 2019 destroyed the spire atop Notre Dame Cathedral. (Philip Wang/Getty Images)
“The fire was a terrible event for us because all of a sudden we had to not only repair part of the cathedral, but also rebuild it, which meant that the extent to which we had to It's much bigger. We were very hopeful that we would be successful in rebuilding, which is quite a bit,” Picoult said.
A window in the heart of Notre Dame Cathedral is seen on Friday, November 28th. (AP/Stephane de Sactin)
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President Macron will return to the country on December 7, deliver a speech and attend the dedication of the new altar at a solemn mass the next day.
FOX News' Ashley J. DiMera and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
